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Great Quotes from The Intimate Marriage

I recently had the opportunity to read through almost all of the books of R.C. Sproul. Along the way I built a collection of some of the best quotes from each one of them. Here are several of the best from The Intimate Marriage.

Communicating is often a burdensome task, but it is a task that must be accomplished for a marriage to be complete. When communication falters, the marriage is in trouble. When it fails, the marriage is virtually doomed.

The more we are able to reveal ourselves to our life partners and still be loved, the more we are able to understand what a relationship with God is all about.

When the New Testament calls wives to be in subjection to their husbands, there is no hint of female inferiority. That notion is neither explicitly stated or implied. When the idea is wrenched out of Scripture, it is done so by twisted minds. What is called for is a division of labor in the economy of marriage. The role of leadership is assigned to the man and not to the woman.

There is a genuine sense in which Christians are to be grateful to God in the midst of trial. But this can be distorted into a flippant gimmick that keeps one from dealing responsibly with problems. Maybe a better way is to praise the Lord and then get busy solving the problem.

Marriages can’t be healed or redeemed overnight. There is no therapeutic panacea that can transform an intolerable marriage situation into an idyllic dream. But the direction of the marriage can change overnight. The pattern of destruction can change into a pattern of construction in a short time. For this pattern to change, a new commitment must be made. If the two options are status quo or redemption, that commitment is not difficult to make. But if the options include divorce, commitment is extremely difficult.

The wife has authority over the husband’s body and the husband has authority over the wife’s body in the sexual context. Imagine that! I wonder how many marital problems would be solved if couples followed this one principle.

Commitment lies at the heart of marriage. In the biblical context, this commitment does not take place privately, in a corner. It is a public matter. Hence the beginning of the marriage ceremony calls attention to the fact that the “dearly beloved” are gathered in an assembly before witnesses. The marriage ceremony is a corporate affair. The Bible has low regard for private covenants witnessed by no one.